Per Aspera Ad Astra
by Faith Yoite
Summary: {Set in the Victorian London. Mikayuu/Yuumika, Gureshin, others} Mika is a chimney sweep who lives in the slums of Sanguinem with his friend Lacus, but little he knows that an unexpected meeting with Yuichiro Amane, Earl of Leicester, can completely change his life.
1. Prologue

**My name is Faith, nice to meet you all.**  
 **I'm sure that while reading you'll notice that I'm not a native speaker... or, in the worst cases, that I'm an illiterate. Well che correct answer is the first one, English is not my mothertongue so there will be mistakes (and I lack of an english speaker beta-reader, sigh) but I try hard to make it acceptable. So, please, don't be too mean with me. Also, corrections are accepted!**

 **This chapter is only a brief prologue/flashforward of the story, the real plot begins from the next chapter.**  
 **The story title is in Latin and means "to the stars through difficulties" (actually it is "per aspera sic itur ad astra" that is "a rough road leads to the stars").**  
 **Have a good reading : 3**

 **Prologue**

He was walking fast, almost running, panting hard in that cold night. He needed to make it fast and make sure not to be seen. The music and the idle chatter could be heard from far away, from the ballroom where he was fleeing from.  
After descending the marble stairs that led to the backyard garden, the boy almost fluctuated around the trees and the exotic plants, _beloved_ gift from from the Hiiragi family. He hid sometimes when he spotted a moving shadow or heard a sound, and then went back on his path.  
It was dangerous but kind of thrilling: rebelling to the moral law was something he could do if that meant to pursue happiness.

"Mika?" he whispered cautiously, approaching the entrance of the labyrinth made of bush plants, "Mika, are you here?" he tried again rising a bit his voice, turning a corner along his way, lit up only by the moonlight. He was following the trail of white rose petals spread on the grassy ground, it was their ploy to find each other. "Mika?" his heart was throbbing in his chest and sweat was forming on his temple.  
He was getting apprehensive, why wasn't he replying? Where was he? This was the chosen place for their secret meetings but now he was arrived in the centre of the labyrinth and all that he had seen were only leaves and branches.

A sudden sound from the plants behind him broke abruptly the silence and a couple of arms grasped him around his chest, and he found himself pressed up against another body. He whirled his head and barely held a scream of terror, before noticing that a familiar smell of roses had overwhelmed his nostrils. The roses of his greenhouse. There was only a person that carried that scent.

"I was afraid that you wouldn't come" whispered the figure pinned against him, he had thrown his arms around his neck and had buried his head in the crook of his shoulder.

"I was afraid you were gone" the boy broke away and reflected in those blue irises surrounded by golden locks. With one hand behind the blond's neck, he drew him closer and kissed him passionately, as if they hadn't seen each other for years, as if that was their last kiss.

Despite the cold, Mika's skin burned like fire and he was sure that in the long run he'd have been burned by his beauty.  
In the hit of passion he gripped the collar of the blond's thin jacket and got him closer to deepen the contact. Their tongues fought ferociously, and to seal that primordial desire he bit his lip causing Mika to moan.

"Sir" the blond panted after breaking their kiss in need of air "We can't go on like this... it's too dangerous for you and your reputation-"

"Stop calling me that" the boy cut him off and cupped his cheeks affectionately with his hands, but his voice was firm "I have a name "

The blond lowered his gaze and clenched his fists in hesitation, "Yuu-chan" he called after a moment. He felt relieved only pronouncing those few syllables but this didn't erase all the social differences that existed between them "It's risky... they could find us"

"Relax, we are safe here"

"Yuu-chan, you ran away in the middle of a party!"

"Don't worry, Yoichi is covering-"

Mika got away forcefully and narrowed his eyes "You are a noble" he made sure to emphasize each word for the other, that had apparently decided to be stupid and couldn't care less about his actions. "I am only a servant, we can not continue like this. I am not worth... and you deserve better. Miss Shinoa is such a dear girl..."

But the other boy wasn't having any of it.

"Don't even say that, Mika!" he almost shouted and rested his hands on Mika's shoulder even though the other was trying to break free "If I'm here it's because I want you and nobody else! All the girls that I meet, all the balls that I attend... nothing matters to me because you're not with me and it hurts so much. Just because you don't own a mansion or a title, doesn't mean that you're different from Shinoa, Mitsuba or whoever...it's weird to say so listen me up" he paused, feeling his cheeks getting redder. He could only hope that the darkness could conceal his embarrassment "You- you are the person I want to share my life with!". He had taken both Mika's hands in his own and hadn't even noticed that he had almost cried out that words. He smiled heartedly, his emeralds shone in the moonlight and reflected in the deep blue. He tried to appear strong enough, _he had to_ , it was the only thing he could do. Mika always did too much for him.

 _'I am different because I'm a boy!'_ Mika wanted to scream and affirm his position, knowing too well that their love was outrageous,it was the worst of the sins in that world ruled by lies and hypocrisy. But he remained silent, leaning against the soft fabric of the luxurious silk coat that his lover was wearing and smiled lightly, it was a sad smile but full of love.  
"I love you, Yuu-chan" he muttered defeated and slid down on the ground with the other, sitting with their backs against the hedges of the labyrinth "I trust you"  
He rose his eyes to the sky. Everything was dark and there were no other sounds apart from their intertwined breaths. Only the stars shone in the night sky along with the moon.  
Mika was blinded. He was so devoted to his Yuu-chan that he could no longer weigh the dangers that would have occurred along the path he had chosen to go through. He'd have done anything to make the boy he loved happy. _Anything_.

A comfortable silence filled the air, but there was a last thing that needed to be said before enjoying that moment.

"Lord Bathory attended the party, his wife was with him" Yuu spoke. His voice was low and serious, as that simple information carried behind another hidden meaning. And it did. Mika had got it. He knew it because the blond had stiffened next to him. Yuu had his head on Mika's shoulder and had wrapped him in his arms.  
"That Ferid guy, he acted weird. I don't like him"

Mika let himself sunk in that warm embrace and closed his eyes, feeling the tiredness of the long day of work growing more and more,"Yeah...I don't like him too. I'm worried about him".

Yuu took a glimpse of the boy next to him and smiled a bit, before turning his head back toward the starry sky "As long as I'm here nothing is going to happen"

The blond curled in his jacket and relaxed in his lover's arms, even the bitter cold was not a big deal when he was with Yuu.  
"I trust you, Yuu-chan" he affirmed sleepy.

"Let's see the stars together. Tomorrow it's another day"

Someone once said _«It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife»_. That person must have definitely known something about marriage - after all, the book published a few years before sold too many copies for his liking - but for Yuichiro Amane marriage was the stupidest thing in the whole universe, because marriage wasn't equal to love. And he was sure as hell love didn't exist in their world, or, at least before reading the entire copy of Pride and Prejudice, and before meeting Mika.  
But how much could it cost loving another human being?

*.*.*.*.*

 **Comments are highly appreciated, I need your feedback to do better (I don't know whether to continue this fic or not, so please tell me)**  
 **If you want to talk to me or look at some doodles about this story , this is my tumblr: faithgrace. tumblr. com**  
 **Thanks for reading and have a good day : 3  
**

 **IN THE NEXT CHAPTER:**  
Shinya wanted to know if Guren felt that same sense of turmoil, that irresistible desire of being touched. It was growing deeper and deeper, even more intimate. It was something that he had desired for a long time by now.  
He approached the man's face and whispered in his ear.  
"Have you ever imagined how could our relationship be be if you were not my Master?"


	2. Two Worlds

It was the classic London day: the sky was grey and the air was damp. The sunlight was almost an illusion, and dark clouds announced that it was going to rain any time soon.

In the filthy slums of Sanguinem, with its old and uneven houses, piled one on top of another, the noise of the bustling streets reigned supreme.

Mika was running through the streets of London, bumping into people and trying not to fall into the market stalls.

Disapproving glances pierced him every time that he ended in the steps of someone else. Was he doing something he shouldn't have to? Maybe yes. Was he a rascal? The judgement would have been left to others.

The fact is that life wasn't simple, especially if you were an orphan and you had no one to rely on. He had lived in an orphanage until he was ten, then he was kicked out because of the overcrowding and from that day on he had to fend for himself.

It was said that England was the empire on which the sun never set, the Queen Victoria's reign was a synonym of peace and prosperity. Power, wealth and honours came from the colonies but the internal problems were always there. Poverty had reached a very high index. London seemed to be divided in two conflicting worlds. Paupers were crowded in the slums, but it was enough to turn the corner and they would find themselves among the most luxurious mansions of the city.

Life was hard and full of struggles. There was no compassion for anyone, even for a child.

In order to live Mika had had to bend down to the only available work for orphans like him: the chimney sweep. It was a thankless and very dangerous job, because you could die in the fireplaces, but it was still better than nothing.

The blond had his arms wrapped around his chest so as not to lose the precious booty that he had won. He turned into a shady and narrow alley, and then looked behind. Luckily, they hadn't caught him up. He panted hard, the lungs crackled with each breath, the airways were burning from the effort and legs felt like jelly.

"Not today… not today..." he coughed and repeated over and over again. He couldn't permit his body to collapse again, not today at least.

It took him a few minutes, but once he had fully recovered he began walking through that alleyway and his ears gradually filled with the voices and laughter of the children who were running towards him as soon as he was seen.

"Mika!" they all screamed with happiness, as usual.

That was Sanguinem, considered one of the darkest areas in London, where the sun didn't shine. But the children's smile couldn't be brighter... if it weren't for hunger.

The blond put on a wide fake smile and patted one of them on their head.

"Did you behave while I was away?" he asked meekly and received an assertive chorus in response. Most of them were orphans just like him, but others lived in the neighbourhood and were left alone while their parents were at work.

"That's good because I've something for you" he pulled out a loaf of bread and split it in two pieces under the sight of the hungry children "Share it among you and don't let your parents discover it"

"Thank you Mika!"

A little girl with short light brown hair approached the blond and pierced him with her innocent gaze, she gripped her long, dirty skirt while slight blush spread over her features "Aren't you gonna eat, Mika?"

The teen didn't hesitate, he smiled softly and shook his head "You all need to grow up strong and healthy. Anyway, I'm not hungry so don't worry".

He sat down on the ground among the others and studied their expression. With wide eyes and showing teeth, they all seemed stray dogs mauling a leftover bite of meat. He hadn't done that much but was equally was glad to have relieved those poor children, even for a short bit. He stayed like this for a while, resting his sore legs from the long run, but then he sighed and begrudgingly got up. He was about to go when another kid, with his big eyes and mouth still full, looked at him questioningly.

"Are you sure you want to go to work today?"

Mika didn't meet his gaze but inhaled deeply while his golden locks swung in the cold breeze.

"In this season there is high demand so I should take advantage of this" he admitted and put his hands in his pockets "Plus, it's not like I want be a burden to Lacus all the time"  
The kid didn't seem convinced but all he did was follow the blond's gaze towards the sky.

It seemed that it was going to rain.

* * *

It was the classic London day: the sky was grey and the air was damp. The sunlight was almost an illusion, and dark clouds announced that it was going to rain any time soon.

In the upscale neighborhood of Chelsea, characterized by tidy, elegant villas, the silence was broken only by a horse trot that was carrying a carriage back home. It was not very showy, but its fine workmanship and its coat of arms depicted on its side proved the noble ancestry of the people within it.

Yuichiro Amane was so bored and watched with little no interest the landscape outside the window. It was almost a year that he had been away from London but hadn't missed anything of that city, except for Yoichi obviously. He yawned loudly and returned to his former occupation: counting how many times Guren snorted as he read his newspaper. It must have been about strikes and workers' revolts, he was almost certain of that because the man did nothing but complain of how much of a burden was the working class. They were advancing too many requests according to him.

"So, Yuichiro" Mahiru broke the silence, "I know that you have finally overcome your fear for the horses, and now you are a good rider"

The boy moved his eyes to one of the two other people in the cab. Mahiru Hiragi was an uncommonly beautiful woman. Her liliac hair were held by rich ornaments and her dress - definitely created just for her by some stylist - highlighted even more her elegance. She always acted with grace and composure, as the good manners required. Mahiru was the worthy successor of the noble Hiragi family.

Or at least that was the perfect façade that she wanted to show of herself.

Next to her was her husband Guren. He apparently did not gave two shits about the conversation, as a matter of fact he was too busy reading his newspaper.

"These words flatters me but I'm not so skilled" said Yuu scratching his head with his right hand.

"Actually I don't think it's a big deal as long as you don't fall from it. Madmoiselle Mitsuba won't love it"

"Yeah right-" he nodded but then shook his head, thinking he had misheard "Wait what?!"

Lady Mahiru sighed as if she had to cope with a little child and raised her index finger in order to emphasize her explanation.

"Yesterday when I had a tea at Lady Cole's, I also met Madame Sangu. She told me about her daughter, I believe her name is Mitsuba. I've heard from the grapevine that she's a very gracious girl and so I decided to invite both of them this afternoon for a tea party. I would like you to meet her"

"But… Mother! I've just got back to London, I'm tired!" the boy complained but the woman was having none of that.

"You've enough time to rest"

"...and I don't want to meet her. I don't like the big-city girls"

"Actually she just moved from France and still doesn't know no one"

Yuu was dumbfounded for a moment "Whatever!" he exclaimed at the end and raised his hands in the air "I don't want meet just another girl to marry, these encounters are boring"

Mahiru opened her eyes and put her hand in front of your mouth, a clear sign of astonishment "What are you saying? Yuichiro now you are a man! Sooner or later you have to get married and, considering that you're sixteen, you should start thinking about your future… to start a family!"

"I am aware that I am almost in marriageable age, but I don't think, with all due respect, that I should be offered as a prize to all the girls in town. Father I wish I knew your opinion about it" the boy said, turning toward the sitting figure next to his mother.

The man lowered his paper and looked at Yuichiro, then Mahiru.

"What?"

Yuu rolled his eyes in annoyance "About me having a fiancée even though I don't want one right now"

Guren remained silent, taking note of the look that the woman sitting next to him was giving him, and opened the newspaper again "Do as your mother says"

The boy widened his eyes and gasped while Mahiru gloated under her breath.

In that moment a whiplash and the neighing of horses could be heard. The coachman announced that the Marquesses Hiragi had arrived back home.

Guren and Yuichiro climbed out of the carriage but the purple haired woman didn't move, she only waved her gloved hand when the two turned toward her with a questioning expression.

"I have to go shopping. See you later" she stated, closing the carriage door "Oh ... and- Yuichiro, my dear, make sure to be ready for this afternoon. The gray suit, I think it suits the best… you should definitely wear that one"

As she finished her sentence the carriage departed, leaving behind father and son who exchanged a puzzled look as they entered their in their city abode. Here they were welcomed by the greetings of their servants, in particular by a man with shiny white hair.

"Good morning my Lord" he chirmed with his usual merry tone. Shinya served as the family butler since Yuu had memory, he liked him a lot because was so caring with him but he was sure that there was something weird between that Shinya and his father. "How was your day? You've taken us aback when it was announced that you all were to arrive today, we didn't expect you til tomorrow- and look who we finally have" the man literally sprawled on top of the young boy in an attempt of hugging him "Little Yuichiro has really grown!"

The black haired boy almost choked in that tight hug trying to punctuate that he'd been away from home only for a while, but the other man was deaf in that moment because of his endless blabbing.

"I'm so happy, I missed you so much… Man, I remember when you were so tiny-"

"Enough" cut off Guren flatly and rolled his head "Shut your mouth for once" he gave his coat to a maid and walked toward the stairs in order to go to his office upstairs, motioning for Shinya to follow him.

The butler let go the boy after a last squeeze and trotted right after his Lord, as requested.

Yuu only took a moment to recover from that personal assault, but then he shook his head and pointed an accusatory finger toward his father "Ohi Guren! I'm not letting you go so easily before you don't tell me why you supported Mother. You know that's stupid and I'll refuse whoever she wants me to meet"

Guren turned his head and looked at the boy condescendingly, he was so tired that he had already forgotten about him.

"I did it out of love"

Yuu almost laughed at that answer and put his hands on his hips "Please, you don't even watch her straight in the face!"

"I was in fact talking about my nerves" and with that the man declared the end of the conversation.

*.*.*.*

"When will you leave that poor boy in peace?"

Once in the office, Shinya locked the wooden door and approached dangerously the other man, who, in the meantime, was freeing himself from the jacket suit and threw it on his desk.

"He's a brat"

"He's just back from a long trip, quit pestering him" the butler studied him and a kind smile peeked out of his face "I know you're very fond of Yuichiro but now he is a man. it's time that you let him do what he wants" with his index finger he began tracing the profile of Guren's chest. Slowly, very slowly.

Shinya felt on his neck his Master's warm, heavy breathing and, without any other words, he leaned on his lips. He took his time to savour them. It started slowly, but then he squeezed Guren's body to his own, tightening his grip in the embrace, and made their kiss deeper and less chaste.

When oxygen became a very felt need, Shinya parted away from those so loved lips and with a grin he finished his sentence "How it's said… one learns from one's mistakes?"

Guren snorted loudly and suddenly grabbed the white haired man and unkindly slammed him against the wall "You know, sometimes you talk too much"

But Shinya stared back at him.

"Then don't leave Mahiru controlling his life too"

Guren remained silent. He was not content with Shinya's ministrations, he was his Lord and it was up to him to decide whether to interrupt their contact or not.

He pierced him with his pitch black gaze, still panting because of the long kiss, but a wry, cocky smile appeared on his face "You are the last person who can lecture me"

He pounced on his mouth, avid for Shinya's taste, starving for his moans.

A slow and compelling dance between their tongues became a fierce passionate struggle. It was a suffering, repressed passion, that's why it so violently poured out under the form of a kiss, as deep as desperate just like them.

It was all but a game.

It was something too big, that devoured one's soul.

But naming what they felt - when they were too dangerously close, among their mad heartbeats - was pretty much impossible.

It was too big, too difficult, and they were too imperfect to sum up what feeling burned down inside of them, what they consummate with their wild kisses. It was too big and too deep to be understood by the world - by the cruel reality in which they was the reason that it was kept as a secret and that they gave life to that sentiment only through those perfect but at the same time so unrighteous gestures.

Guren took a few steps back, his lips still swelling, and then sprawled on his desk chair. But even though he had his eyes closed he could sense that the butler had followed him to the desk.

Shinya was looking at him with a curious gaze, as if trying to figure out what the black haired man was thinking in that moment. Was he rethinking what he had said about Yuichiro? His work, family affairs? Or was it about Lady Mahiru?

He knew it was stupid but he couldn't help but feel extremely jealous always seeing Guren acting so kindly with her. He loved him with all his being but he also knew that the other man was married and had his duties and his reputation to safeguard.

Actually, Shinya wanted to know if Guren felt that same sense of turmoil, that irresistible desire of being touched. It was growing deeper and deeper, even more intimate. It was something that he had desired for a long time by now.

He approached the man's face and whispered in his ear.

"Have you ever imagined how could our relationship be if you were not my Master?"

The marquis Hiragi didn't bother to answer the question, a cocky smile appeared on his face.

* * *

Yuichiro was furious. Not only that morning someone had felt the urge of fucking puke in his top hat while he was peacefully sleeping on the train, but since the exact moment he had laid his eyes on his parents (that so kindly had decided to wait for his arrival at Kings Cross and take him back home, probably with the intent of never letting him go anymore) he had known that something was up with Mahiru. All the time, his mother had that confident look full of expectations and never moved her eyes off of him.

He had to expect her wanting him to meet other crazy chicks. And on top of that, Guren was being an asshole as usual and didn't care about helping him out. It was like he was silently affirming 'you have to pass through the helljust like I did before marrying my wife'.

Yuichiro growled at the thought and rested his hand on the doorknob. He stood for a brief moment in front of his room's closed door and felt weirdly nervous. He couldn't still realize that he had been away for so long. He expected that during this year everything had changed but instead he was wrong.

He opened the door and was hit by a thin beam of light shining through the curtains. Everything looked exactly the same as the day he had left: his large canopy bed, his messy desk, his sketches, his books, his marble fireplace with that pitch black mass thing moving furtively-

Wait, What-?!

Yuu flung completely open the door with little no tact and studied that black thing. He hadn't dreamt it, it really was a puddle of...something that was extending some creepy tentacle inside the chimney. Oh wait, it had turned its head toward him and now he'd sprung on his feet, for a brief instant he also thought he had glimpsed a flash of blue.

"I'm sorry Sir, I didn't-"

But the thing couldn't end the sentence because Yuichiro suddenly slammed the door shut and stared at its wooden surface with wide eyes and laboured breathing. He was wrong. Not everything had remained the same because-

"HOLY FUCK I'VE ALWAYS KNOWN THAT THE BOOGEYMAN LIVED UNDER MY FUCKING BED!"

...the boogeyman with the prettiest blue eyes, he had to admit.

* * *

 **Have you noticed that Yuu has a different surname? :3  
I sincerely hope that you liked the chapter (and that I didn't messed up that much with my grammar ahahah) and you'll leave a brief comment about it.  
Anyway I have a question for you because I'm really unsure about it: do you prefer Kimizuki as a noble or a butler? Please let me know and any further ideas are welcomed!**

 **IN THE NEXT CHAPTER:  
** 5pm  
Tea time, obviously.  
The Hiiragi's house was perfect.  
Mahiru had cambe back earlier just to wear an enviable dress and to direct the servants while they were organizing the perfect welcome for Madame and Madmoiselle Sangu.  
"More than French, they seem Swiss" Yuu commented mentally.


End file.
